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164
M. A. MEHENDALE
As regards the change kkh>ggh, LUEDERS cites ($ 149) Sk. saksyati (future of Vsak): As caghati or caghamti in the 4th PE and caghatha in the separate edicts. The Asokan inscriptions show a base Vcak besides Vsak < Sk. sak. The future base from this stem would be caksya which in the eastern dialect would appear as Vcakkha ACcording to LUEDERS this has further become caggha in the above instance as softening in his opinion is an eastern characteristic. But possibly the Asokan evidence is not clear enough to conclude Vcagghu with the softening of kh>gh to be an eastern form. Its occurrence in the separate edicts makes it a doubtful case in this regard and suggests a possible case of non-eastern influence for softening. But its occurrence in the pillar edict IV, which has an eastern version, is a little: difficult to explain. As I do not regard softening to be an eastern feature I would expect the pillar edict IV to show a base cakkha, and not Vcaggha, if that has to be derived from Vcaksya- (=Vsaksya-). But just on the strength of this one instance I would not like to consider softening to be an eastern tendency. The explanation of the form has perhaps to be sought elsewhere. So far as Pāli sagghasi, mentioned by LUEDERS, is concerned, the reading is not absolutely certain and in the context the reading agghasi given by other manuscript suits equally well. And even though sagghasi be the original reading it can be regarded as a non-eastern form arising from eastern sakkhasil. As re.. gards Asokan Voagha I may put forward for your consideration the suggestion that here perhaps we have a base Vcagha of the present tense, and not caggha of the future from Vcak (však). This Vcagha indicates that the old IE base from which it is derived had a voiced aspirate in it. It will thus be * kagha (or *kegh) 'to be able, to help' as once suggested by ZUPITZA in Die Germanischen Gutturale (=Shriften Zur Germanischen Philologie. Achtes Heft, Berlin 1896) P. 104, (cited by WALDE-POKORNY 1. p. 333) instead of */kak-kek-?). This IE *kagh seems to have given two bases in old Aryan *Vsagh and Vsak and of these Vsak occurs in the Asokan inscriptions as Vsaka or Vcakx and * sagh as Vcagha. Aryan *Vsagh is perhaps found also in Sk. sagma 'strong or able' which is generally related to the other base Vsak. If this interpretation is accepted Vcagha of the Asokan inscriptions would represent a case of old preservation and not of voicing of intervocal -kh
In support of his contention that the change tt> dd is an eastern tendency, LUEDERS cites ($ 152) from Asoka Sk. amravartikā > anbā.
1. Or it can be explained as coming from Sk. saghnoti 'to take upon one's self, etc.' 2. WACKERNAGEL, Alt. Gr. 1.225 considers the palatal x of Vsak to be secondary.
In that case the IE base would be " sagh,
Madhu Vidyā/258
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